


live in the moment

by flowersbloomingg (thisisberkk)



Series: imaginings for ff7r [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Beaches, Budding Love, Costa del Sol (Compilation of FFVII), Day At The Beach, During Canon, F/M, Falling In Love, Final Fantasy VII Remake Spoilers, Fluff, Friendship, It's how I imagine costa del sol going lol, Kinda?, i'll put it here anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24492100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisberkk/pseuds/flowersbloomingg
Summary: Cloud and crew arrive from Junon to Costa del Sol in the middle of their hunt for Sephiroth. They decided to take a break and spend the day at the beach.--(An imagining of how Costa del Sol will look in FF7R)
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Series: imaginings for ff7r [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827421
Comments: 8
Kudos: 65





	live in the moment

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first time I've ever posted a FF7 fic! I've been in the fandom quietly since 2013, but it just kind of exploded again with the release of Remake! 
> 
> I was talking on a Clerith discord about how we imagined Costa del Sol going in Remake, and some of what we talked about made it in here! There was brief discussion of a sunscreen-application minigame (press "triangle" to rub sunscreen on either aerith or tifa, dependent on your choices lol), but...I couldn't bring myself to write it lol 
> 
> I took a lot of dialogue from the OG FF7, so if any of the dialogue seems familiar, it's probably because I took it from OG!
> 
> And...okay, so I say this is an "imagining" of how Costa del Sol will look, but honestly, it was just a self-indulgent fic, and it's very goofy and silly, and...it just makes me happy. It's definitely not my best writing in the world, but I had a lot of fun writing it. So...
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> (And just so everyone knows - I am a Clerith shipper through and through, but I'm not anti-Tifa in the slightest! I love that woman with my whole life and if anyone is mean to her, you're not my friend thank you for coming to my ted talk)

Cloud still felt the rocking motion of the ship as he and the rest of the group got off the cargo ship onto the docks of Costa del Sol. Hoo boy, was the name of this place fitting. The heat of the sun’s rays was like a veil, and Cloud despised the fact that he was dressed in all black. He was already sweating up a storm.

He huffed as he trailed behind the rest of the group, onto the platform just outside the entrance of the actual vacation spot. They stood in a circle together near the foot of the docks, trying not to get in the way of all the hustle and bustle around them.

Barret, who was still dressed in his sailor suit, despite everyone else having changed into their normal outfits, stretched his arms in the air, basking in the warm heat. “Damn!” he shouted. He pinched the front of his shirt with two fingers and shook rapidly, trying to air himself out. “Sure is hot here! I’ll definitely feel better once I can say goodbye to this God-forsaken sailor suit!”

“Barret, we all got changed while we were on the ship,” Aerith reminded him, though she was now slipping her jacket off her shoulders. She, too, was already beginning to sweat from the drastic change in temperature.

Barret blinked and looked around at everybody, seeing that, indeed, they were all back in their normal clothes. He stomped his foot. “Damn it all! Why does nobody tell me nothin’?” He shook his head. “I’m changin’ the _second_ we get a hotel room!”

“Aw, too bad!” Aerith exclaimed. “I like your sailor suit! You look cute.”

Barret looked at Aerith from over the top of his sunglasses. “…Whaddaya mean ‘cute’?” he asked, dead-serious.

Tifa cleared her throat, feeling awkward. “Right, well…uh…”

“You look like a bear wearing a marshmallow,” Cloud said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Barret glared at Cloud with an impressive amount of frustration on his face. Luckily, he didn’t notice Tifa and Aerith giggling to themselves at the sight before them. Barret jabbed Cloud in the chest. “The hell’s that supposed to mean? This happens to be the most comfortable, so…shut up!”

Cloud rolled his eyes, not amused. “Remember, this isn’t a vacation. We’re here after Sephiroth. We can rest up, but then, we’re doing recon and going after him. I’m going on ahead.” He began to walk forward, but he was hastily interrupted by the group continuing the conversation.

Barret snorted. “Cloud…you’re the one who’s always hangin’ around wastin’ time! Need I remind you of those damn _stairs_?” He shuttered at the memory. “My calves still hurt.”

Red XIII’s heavy panting filled the silence. “Would you kindly hurry?” he asked, licking his muzzle. “The heat here is drying my nose.”

“Yeah, mine, too!” Yuffie exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. 

“We’re _all_ pretty tired, Cloud,” Tifa said with a shrug of her shoulders. “And this is the perfect place to chill out for a bit!”

Aerith nodded her head. “I think it’s the Planet’s way of telling us that we need to take a break.”

Cloud deadpanned. “The Planet _really_ said that?”

Aerith laughed, and she shrugged. “Who knows?”

Cloud groaned and slumped his shoulders, feeling all sense of control over the group leaving. “Alright. We’ll take a break here and then head off. Don’t wander too far.”

“I’ll wander wherever I damn-well want! Who made _him_ the leader?” Barret exclaimed.

Cloud shook his head as Barret ran off, claiming he was going to wait for Cloud to get a hotel room, get changed, and then head to a bar.

“I’m going to go find someplace…to cool down,” Red said, the heat seemingly already making him tired, which was evident in the way he crouched low to the ground as he walked off, following Barret.

“Don’t even bother looking for me!” Yuffie exclaimed, though everyone knew she was probably going to try and track down some Materia.

“I think I’m going to do a little shopping,” Tifa said, looking past the bridge that led to the town, seeing some signs for the local shops.

“Ooh, I might join you!” Aerith added. “Especially to get swimsuits!” She looked back at Cloud. “Are you going to go swimming with us later?”

“Swimming?” Cloud asked, as if the word was foreign to him.

Tifa nodded her head. “We decided that earlier when we were getting changed on the ship. We’re going to go to the beach. It’s too nice here _not_ to.”

Cloud furrowed his brows. Even before they had docked at Costa del Sol, they were already talking about going to the beach? Cloud had just planned on keeping moving, especially with Sephiroth’s surprise appearance on the cargo ship. What was more important – saving the Planet, or taking a vacation? “Wait, you plan-”

“Maybe one of the hotels has an indoor pool!” Aerith suggested, holding onto Tifa’s arm with excitement.

“With a _hot tub_!” Tifa added, her eyes brightening. “Only topside had those. I’ve _dreamed_ of using a hot tub! It sounds _so_ relaxing.”

“We’re not staying here for _that_ long,” Cloud reminded them, looking at both of them dead in the eyes. “Only a few hours. I _just_ told you guys this.”

“A few _hours_?” Aerith asked, shocked. She placed a hand on her chest, as if she was offended by the idea. “We’re in the perfect vacation destination, and you only want to stay for a little bit?”

“We’re after-”

“Sephiroth. We know,” Tifa finished. “But…we can take a little break, can’t we? I mean, we haven’t gotten much time to breathe since we left Midgar.” She fanned herself with her hand. “I mean, I need a break just from trying to get my Materia back from Yuffie.” She looked back at Aerith. “We need to make sure to lock ours up, since we’ll be sharing a room with her.”

“Right,” Aerith nodded.

Cloud shook his head. Did they really _not_ see that Sephiroth was just on-board the cargo ship? And that he could be going _anywhere_ if they didn’t hurry up? “Guys, we’re supposed-”

“Take a breather, Cloud!” Aerith exclaimed, smiling kindly at Cloud. “Relax for a bit! We’ve got a lot up ahead for us! Let’s live in the moment, huh?”

“Aerith-”

“So…go set us up with some hotel rooms, and then have some fun!” Aerith suggested. “We’ll get back to Sephiroth in a bit. He can wait, can’t he?” She and Tifa giggled to each other, and they linked arms as they turned around on their heels, heading off to the town.

Cloud shook his head and huffed. “I guess…we can take a break,” he mumbled to no-one-in-particular.

\-----------------

He did what Tifa first suggested. He went to the inns, and he booked two rooms. He shook his head when he handed the gil to the receptionist – these rooms were getting _expensive_. Especially now that they were getting two, what with the growing number of members of their party.

And with getting rooms in _Costa del Sol_ , of all places.

And with getting rooms in a hotel that had an indoor pool and hot tub.

Though he’d never say he did it on purpose in order to surprise his friends. It was merely a coincidence.

For once, he left his sword in the hotel room, leaning it against the wall. Despite there being enemies on the cargo ship from Junon, there didn’t seem to be any here. No use carrying it around like an idiot in a vacation spot.

Realizing there wasn’t much to do in the hotel room, and because he wasn’t in the mood to be stubborn and not enjoy their brief time here, he went back out to the town.

Glancing around, he saw it was definitely as bustling as the advertisements depicted it to be on TV – from what he could recall as a child. His mom always wanted to take a trip here, but they just never had the funds. And then…

Cloud hissed as the pain returned to his head. He lifted a hand to his forehead as he closed his eyes tightly.

_Fire. Houses burning. Mom…Mom…What did…fire…house…Mom…how…fire…Mom-_

“Hey! Weirdo!”

Cloud blinked, the searing pain turning to a dull throb. He looked up, in search of the source of the sound.

It was Yuffie, waving him over. She was stood behind a stall, an older, heavy-set man in a trench coat – somehow surviving this ungodly heat – beside her. Cloud furrowed his eyebrows, put his hand down from his head, and approached the stall.

“Yuffie? What are you doing?” he asked.

“Well, we’re lucky to have such a cutie working for us part-time!” the man beside Yuffie said, gesturing to the small stall. Cloud had heard that people set up stalls all over Costa del Sol to try to get vacationers to buy their products or merchandise for an obnoxiously high price, but never had he heard of getting vacationers to _work_ for the stalls.

Also this man just gave Cloud the creeps.

“Part-time?” Cloud asked. Yuffie nodded her head. “Yuffie, we’ve been here for less than an hour. How do you _already_ have a part-time job?”

“I’m just _that_ great. Ain’t that right, Butch?” she asked, slapping Butch’s back roughly.

“She’s a cutie; that’s for sure!” Butch exclaimed.

Yuffie grinned widely, not seeming the least-bit creeped out. “Lend me a buck, why don’t you, Cloud?”

“You just made plenty of gil at Fort Condor,” Cloud replied, confused.

Yuffie swatted the air. “Ah, but I need some more _spending_ money! _Like…_ 300,000 gil!”

Cloud took a step back in surprise. “300,000?!” He’s never had that much money before in his life…ever.

Yuffie nodded her head enthusiastically. “The old hobo in the dead President’s house said I could buy it!”

Cloud huffed and shook his head. “I…I don’t think selling…” he glanced at the stall’s sign to see what Yuffie was even selling. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he read what product this stall offered. “…wait, are you selling Materia?” Never in his life would he have expected Yuffie of all people to be _selling_ Materia. Stealing Materia, of course, but definitely not selling it.

Yuffie laughed. “It’s not _our_ Materia, so you don’t need to worry your spiky little head about that!” she exclaimed. She gestured to the man. “It’s all Butch’s stock! I’m just the pretty face who gets to sell it! So, why don’t you buy some?!”

Cloud blinked from Butch and to Yuffie. “Not interested.” He gave a quick glare at Butch, and then turned back to Yuffie. “Reminder: we’re only here for a few hours. Maybe overnight at most. We’re after-”

“Blah! Blah! Blah! I’ve heard it all before, Mr. Bossy!” Yuffie exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “Take a chill pill! Have some fun! Stress is _really_ bad for you.” She looked back at Butch. “Ain’t that right, Butch?”

“Of course, cutie!”

“I can feel the gray hairs already,” Cloud muttered.

“You should really work on that,” Yuffie replied. “Now scram, unless you’re going to give me some money!”

Cloud smirked and turned away from the stall. On the other side of the street, he spotted Red XIII resting underneath the awning of one of the shops. There were a group of kids nearby, kicking a ball around. If it got near Red’s tail, the canine would hit it back with a small flick of his tail, even though it seemed like he wasn’t paying much attention to the game.

Cloud strolled over and leaned against the side of the building beside Red, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. He wasn’t tired, but he was definitely feeling his energy drained. Maybe staying here for the night was a smart idea. He’d never admit that out loud, though.

“Hmmm…” Red hummed, breaking Cloud’s trail of thought.

“What?” Cloud asked.

“That’s interesting.” Cloud peeked one eye open to see Red watching his tail. “It’s not as if I’m moving this because I want to.” He shifted and looked up at Cloud. “You see, this tail of mine, moves quite independently of my will.”

“That big dog talks like a human!” one of the kids kicking the ball shouted, catching both Cloud and Red’s attention. “That’s cool…but it’s weird.”

“It’s _lab rat dog_ ,” Red corrected, setting his head down on his paws. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, please continue to kick that spherical play device towards me again. I seem to be enjoying it.”

Cloud snickered. He opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar gruff voice from over the way caught his attention. He glanced over at the outside seating at the bar, and there, with two ladies at his side, was none other than Barret Wallace, a mojito in his hand and…still wearing the damn sailor suit.

“’Ey! Spiky! You gotta get yourself one of these! They’re fantastic!” Barret called, Cloud walking over to stand by him, even though he would much rather _not_ be associated with the large man in a sailor suit costume.

“Day drinking, Barret? Really?” Cloud asked, a hand on his hip.

“Hey, when in Costa del Sol, do as the…uh…Costa del Solians do,” Barret replied. “Because _damn,_ after all that? I definitely needed a drink.” He took a sip of the mojito before he set it down on the table. “And I was talkin’ ‘bout the _suit_!”

“It’s _soooo_ cute,” one of the girls said, giggling.

“I _love_ a man in uniform,” the other added.

Cloud smirked. “You said you were going to change,” he reminded Barret.

Barret shrugged. “Well, I was…but then I saw the sign for buy one, get one mojitos.”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

“And then I got distracted.”

“As I can see.”

“You _really_ gotta get yourself one of these.” He gestured with his head to the two girls, wiggling his eyebrows at Cloud.

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh…I-I’m good, Barret. I…uh…don’t think it’s for me.”

“Suit yourself, bein’ all lonely and sad!”

Cloud furrowed his brows. “I’m not-”

“Hey, Cloud!” a voice rang from behind Cloud. Cloud turned around to see Aerith standing by the door of a shop, two shopping bags draped on her arm. She waved with her other hand in his direction, telling him to come over.

Cloud looked back at Barret with a smug look before he began to walk over to Aerith.

Barret shook his head and picked up his glass. “Not the same effect without the sailor suit, merc!” He raised it in a cheer before taking a sip, the girls giggling at him.

Aerith smiled at Cloud’s fast walking from the seating area outside the bar to her side. “Saved you from that, didn’t I?” she asked.

“No kidding,” Cloud replied, shaking his head.

“He looks like he’s having fun, though,” she said, glancing over Cloud’s shoulder to look at Barret, who probably just told some kind of dad joke to the two girls, since they are all laughing heartily, their voices overpowering the sounds of the island, bossa nova music playing throughout the town’s speakers. “So, what were you up to?”

“Just checking up on everyone. Where’s Tifa?”

“Aw, look at you, being such a leader, even on vacation!” Aerith exclaimed, laughing at Cloud’s huff. “It’s cute.” She motioned with her head to the door to the shop she had just come out of. “She’s still inside paying.”

“You’re not spending all your gil, right?”

“Of course not! Who do you take us for?” Aerith asked, laughing at hitting Cloud’s arm lightly. “We just needed a few essentials. We’re picking up swimsuits next, and we’re going to head to the beach after! We’ve heard there are some nice waves out there.” She lifted up her arms, analyzing them. “Maybe I should get a tan for a change. What do you think, Cloud?”

Cloud looked over her. He noticed she still had her jacket off – it was probably inside one of her shopping bags now – her shoulders exposed. If she stayed out in the sun for too long without sunblock, she would definitely get sunburnt. Her skin was already getting a bit pink. But, she had a natural dusting of freckles along her shoulders and arms, he noticed. They were faint, but there.

“Uh...I like fair complexions,” he answered, shrugging his shoulders.

Aerith’s smile widened. She nodded once. “I’ll remember that.”

Cloud was about to ask what she meant by that when the two were interrupted by the door to the shop opening, the bell above the door jingling as Tifa stepped out of the shop, three paper bags in her hands. “It is _way_ harder to bargain here than it is in Midgar,” she said, brushing her hair, which had fallen out of her ponytail, off her shoulder. She looked up and saw Cloud standing there. “Oh, hey! We’re about to shop for some swimsuits. Did you want to join us?”

“I-I’m not-”

“Sure he was!” Aerith said, linking her arm with Cloud’s. “And then we’re going to get into the water! Isn’t that right, Cloud?”

“…I don’t get a say in this?” Cloud questioned.

Aerith took a step back, though she still held onto Cloud’s arm. She stared at him, a surprised look on her face and her eyes widened. Cloud was about to ask her what was wrong, but then it hit him.

Oh, yeah.

Had they had a chance to discuss that yet? They hadn’t really gotten a moment alone, save for a few nights of being unable to fall asleep right away, but they would just sit quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else up. Cloud has just been so focused on-

“C’mon! Let’s get a move on!” Tifa exclaimed, rushing past them, a fist triumphantly raised in the air. “I wanna get to the beach ASAP! I need a tan _really_ bad!”

Aerith blinked, and she cleared her throat. “Uh…sorry,” she said. She was about to remove her arm from Cloud’s, but Cloud stopped her by placing a hand over the top of hers.

“We’ll talk later,” Cloud said.

Aerith looked over his face for a few seconds, as if trying to read his mind or read his expression, wanting to know how he was feeling. And then, she nodded her head.

“Come _on_!” Tifa called, catching Aerith and Cloud’s attention again. She was standing at the entrance of a new shop, waving at them. “There’s a swimsuit sale here!”

“Coming!” Aerith replied. She looked back at Cloud. “Join us? If you’re not too tired?”

Cloud huffed. “I’m an ex-SOLDIER. Getting tired isn’t something that happens easily.” He shrugged. “And…gotta live in the moment, huh?”

Aerith smiled. “That’s the spirit! You’re learning!” The two then began to walk towards the shop Tifa found, although their companion had already entered the store, not wanting to wait for the two of them. “And while we’re here, let’s _not_ get worked up about…hm…he-who-shall-not-be-named.”

“‘He-who-shall-not-be-named’?” Cloud asked.

Aerith nodded her head. “Yeah!” she exclaimed. “It’s his code name for while we’re here. We’re not focusing on the problem at hand. We’re just here to relax, have fun, and take a break! Have you _ever_ taken a break in your life?”

“Can’t recall.”

“So…this is perfect!” Aerith exclaimed, as they stopped in front of the shop. She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. “And while we’re here, you’re going to learn how to relax!”

“Can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” Cloud said, opening the door to the shop, stepping aside for Aerith to walk in first.

Aerith laughed and shook her head. “We’ll see about that,” she responded. She smiled as a thanks before she stepped into the shop, beelining towards Tifa, who was sifting through the racks of swimsuits with an impressive amount of vigor. Aerith joined her and began her search for a swimsuit. Cloud smiled slightly to himself as he went to rest against one of the walls, crossing his arms over his chest, watching as Aerith and Tifa began their quest for looking for a swimsuit. 

He knew Aerith was right. She always seemed to be…somehow. They _had_ been running around much of the habitable eastern continent for the past while. Cloud wasn’t even sure how much time had passed since they left Midgar. He didn’t want to think about that. He had to be looking ahead, not back, didn’t he? Gotta keep pushing forward.

But also live in the moment.

God, Aerith was an enigma. Yet Cloud found himself wanting to figure her out. To know who she was.

What had she meant in that dream? That dream felt like so long ago, but the words she said had imprinted themselves in Cloud’s mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. What did she mean when she said-

“Hey, Cloud!” Tifa’s voice rang in Cloud’s ear, bringing Cloud out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked up, seeing his friend holding up two hangers, each with a different swimsuit on it. One was a black bikini, and the other was a deep purple one-piece with cut-outs along the side. “Which do you think?”

Cloud shrugged. “Don’t have a preference,” he said. Though, to be perfectly honest, he wouldn’t mind seeing her in the first one.

“Not _one_?” Tifa asked, cocking her head to the side.

Cloud shook his head. “Whichever one you want,” he answered.

Tifa looked back at the swimsuits. She thought about it for a moment, and then put back the one-piece on the rack. Cloud smirked and shook his head.

“Cloud, are you getting one?” Aerith asked.

“A bikini?” Cloud replied, scrunching up his nose.

Aerith laughed. “No, you silly goose!” she exclaimed, swatting the air. “You need swim trunks if you’re going swimming with us! Don’t tell me you’re wearing all that in the ocean!” She gestured to Cloud’s SOLDIER uniform.

Cloud looked down at his clothes. “I, uh…guess I didn’t think about that.”

Before anyone could respond, the door to the shop burst open. “If I’ve been lied to, and this is all some kind of sick joke…!”

And in stomped…

“Johnny?!” Tifa exclaimed.

The familiar redhead rushed awkwardly into the shop. He gaped when he saw three familiar faces. “Tifa! Cloud! …I don’t really remember your name!”

“Johnny?” Cloud asked, at the same time as Aerith mumbled her name. “What are you doing here?”

“I moved!” Johnny replied, making a grand sweeping gesture with his arms. “I moved here, to the beautiful tropical paradise of _Costa del Sol_!”

“How did you even afford…?” Cloud mumbled.

“That’s great!” Tifa said excitedly, as if she didn’t hear Cloud’s remark. “When you told us you were leaving Midgar, I didn’t expect you to move _here_.”

“Yup! I’m starting a new life in this town!” Johnny replied. “I ran as far out of Midgar as I could get! Now, I’m starting a new life! I’m renting my own place, I’m eating all the pizza I could ever ask for, and I’ve got a job!” He flexed his arm muscles. “As a lifeguard for the Costa del Sol beach!”

“You know how to swim?” Cloud asked with suspicion in his voice and an eyebrow raised at him.

“I’m _learning_ , bro!”

“Don’t call me-”

“So…you’re not a lifeguard quite yet, are you?” Aerith questioned.

“Hey, I’m getting there! I’m taking my swimming lessons everyday.” He looked over at Tifa. “Maybe one day I can save you from drowning?”

“Smooth,” Cloud said as Tifa giggled and said she hoped that her drowning was something she hoped would _not_ happen.

Aerith slapped Cloud’s arm. “Like you know anything about being smooth,” she retorted with a laugh.

“Well, what are you all doing here?” Johnny asked. “Taking a vacation?”

“Uh-yeah!” Tifa answered, not really wanting to divulge into the whole situation of AVALANCHE, Shinra, he-who-shall-not-be-named… “Taking a little break.”

“It’s almost as if the stars collided so that we might meet each other again, my beloved Tifa,” Johnny told Tifa, holding a hand out to her. Tifa awkwardly kept her hands to herself. “You just couldn’t escape me, huh, babe? It was _fate_!”

“Uh…”

“Anyway! Are ya’ll looking for some swimsuits? I can hook you up! I know the guy who runs the place!” Johnny exclaims.

Tifa’s eyes instantly brightened. “Really?” she asked. She and Aerith looked at each other gleefully.

Johnny nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yeah! I mean, at the least, I can probably get you a good deal. I did some favors for him the other day because I’m _so_ good.”

“Please don’t tell me it involved sauces,” Cloud mumbled.

Johnny swatted the air. “Nah, that’s Wall Market shit, bro! This was…the _dressing_.”

“Ooh, so mysterious,” Aerith replied, earning an eyeroll from Cloud.

“I _know_ , bro-ita!” Johnny exclaimed, pointing triumphantly at Aerith. “It was some of the hardest work I’ve ever worked!” He held his hands out. “C’mon! Let’s get your stuff!”

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows as she handed her swimsuit choice to Johnny. “You don’t have to do this, Johnny!” she exclaimed.

“Anything for you, my one true bro, and my one true bro’s girlfriend!” Johnny exclaimed.

“Girlfriend?” Tifa asked, looking at Cloud, whose face turned bright pink.

“He’s my _bodyguard_ ,” Aerith corrected.

“Eh, bodyguard-schmodyguard! Just hand me your stuff, and I’ll talk to the owner! Cloud, you got anything?”

“I’m not-”

“I’ll find you something really nice,” Johnny interrupted. “Ever heard of a thing called a speedo? They’re all-”

“ _No_ ,” Cloud replied, knowing his face was probably incredibly red. “I’m good.”

“Aw, you’re no fun, bro,” Johnny pouted. “I mean, I guess we can just get you a basic-ass swimsuit. Whatever your taste is, bro.”

“I’m not-”

“That’s so sweet of you, Johnny!” Aerith exclaimed, placing a hand on Johnny’s arm before handing him a swimsuit – a pink set with high-waisted bottoms – that she had been looking at.

“Why can’t you be this sweet, Cloud?” Tifa joked, a smile on her face.

“The world may never know,” Cloud mumbled. He walked over to a rack of men’s swim trunks, found his size, and picked the first one he saw that looked the least threatening. “Here. Thanks, Johnny.”

“Don’t you mean, ‘thanks, _bro_ ’?” Aerith asked, nudging Cloud’s side.

Cloud shook his head. “No.”

Johnny didn’t seem bothered. He held up the hangers. “I’ll go talk to the shop owner! _Free swimsuits all around, bros!_ ” He laughed eagerly before turning around on his heel and went to approach the counter.

\----------------------------

Johnny got them their swimsuits for free because of the work he had done for the shop owner a few days prior. Tifa remarked that they had visited Costa del Sol at a perfect time then, and Johnny was quick to let Tifa know that she could visit him anytime.

The trio went to the hotel, went to their rooms, and changed into their swimsuits, Aerith and Tifa laughing to each other about how excited they were to get to the beach and spend some time relaxing in the sand and swimming in the water.

Cloud got changed in the boys’ hotel room, swapping his SOLDIER uniform for swim trunks and a shirt. He briefly contemplated staying inside the room and resting, but he knew the group would be disappointed if he didn’t go with them. And Cloud felt…bad about that. He hadn’t ever felt bad about skipping out before, but now…

Plus, it _was_ beautiful outside. The ocean would be relaxing for his aching muscles, and it _had_ been a while since he’d taken a break.

So, he slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed the room card, and headed out to the beach, knowing the rest of the group was probably having the time of their lives.

And, he was right. Tifa and Aerith were already there, setting up two beach chairs. Both were wearing their swimsuits, and Tifa had her long hair pulled up into a bun. Aerith had pinned her bangs back so they weren’t in her face.

Yuffie had apparently gotten off work, as the teenager was dressed in a one-piece swimsuit, and her hair was wet, meaning she had probably just been in the ocean. Barret was there, too, still dressed in that goddamn sailor suit, but he was lounging in the sand, Red at his side.

“Cloud! You actually decided to come!” Tifa exclaimed when she saw Cloud approach the group.

“Don’t act so surprised,” Cloud said.

Tifa laughed. “Well, you…didn’t seem sold on the whole beach thing.”

Cloud shrugged. “Gotta make use of the damn swimsuit Johnny got us. Where’d he go, by the way? Figured he’d be following you around like a panting dog.”

“Cloud!” Tifa exclaimed, hitting his arm. “He had to go talk to his landlord. Something about missing payments?”

Cloud snickered. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Be nice!” Tifa exclaimed. “Well, we’re just about to start a game of beach volleyball.” She gestured over the way to a court with a net, a few straggler volleyballs around the area.

“Yeah! Me, Red, and Tifa already decided we’re a team!” Barret said, he and Red getting up from their spots. Barret stands by Tifa, and the two high-five. Barret holds out his hand for Red to hit, and Red slaps it with the flame of his tail. “Ah! Goddamn it, Red! We’ve been over this!”

Red chuckled. “You make this too easy for me.”

Barret hmphed. “Well, what are we waitin’ around here for? Let’s get this game movin’!” He gestured towards the court as he, Red, Tifa, and Yuffie sprinted their way over to the court. Cloud shook his head as he began to follow them, but Aerith stopped him by speaking up.

“Hey, you might get hot with your shirt on,” she said. Cloud turned around to look at her. From looking at her face, Cloud knew it wasn’t just a way for him to take his shirt off; she actually looked slightly concerned.

“Uh…I’ll leave it on, thanks,” Cloud responded, nodding his head. He didn’t want anyone to see the reminder Cloud had everyday of what happened all those years ago. While the memories of that were scattered and dissipated, the scar on his chest was permanent. Cloud didn’t remember how it got there, and honestly, from the look of it, he couldn’t even tell you how he _survived_.

Whatever. He didn’t want anyone to see it. He hated seeing it himself; it was gross. It was ugly. It was…it was awful. He hated it.

He tried to pass it off like he was just self-conscious, though.

Aerith smiled, and Cloud hoped his acting paid off. “If you’re sure,” she answered. “You put sunscreen on though, right? Can’t have you getting a farmer’s tan.”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “I can take care of myself, ma’am.”

Aerith smiled. “I need to keep you in line, Mr. Ex-SOLDIER.”

“Thought I was Mr. Bodyguard?”

Aerith giggled. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by Barret. “ _Hey! Quit flirting and get over here!_ ”

Cloud flipped Barret the bird before he and Aerith started walking towards the volleyball court. “You ready to play with the Champion of the Leaf House Girls’ Volleyball Team?” Aerith asked, raising a fist in the air playfully.

Cloud cocked an eyebrow. “You play?”

“With ten-year-olds,” Aerith explained, laughing. “And…I’m not really good, but I have fun! And that’s all that matters, right?”

“I suppose,” Cloud responded.

“And that’s why we’re here! To have fun!”

“Thought we were here to relax.”

“That, too,” Aerith said, the two of them stepping onto the court. Yuffie, who was teamed up with Aerith and Cloud, already had the volleyball and was in the setter’s spot. Cloud took middle, and Aerith took left. On the other side, Tifa was in setter’s position, Red in the middle, and Barret on their left.

“Finally!” Yuffie exclaimed. “I thought I was going to have to play by myself!”

“I thought you had a part-time job?” Cloud asked.

Yuffie shrugged. “Butch ran out of inventory.”

“Were you _that_ good at selling?”

Yuffie blinked. “Not necessarily…selling.” She giggled. And Cloud instantly knew, but he didn’t question it further.

“Alright! First to 21 gets all of Yuffie’s healing Materia!” Tifa shouted, getting Cloud’s attention.

Yuffie yelped in surprise. “No! No, no, no, no! They’re _so_ close to upgrading!” she retorted, stomping her foot. 

“Loser buys drinks?” Tifa asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Under-age!” Yuffie sang loudly.

“I’m a dog,” Red reminded.

“Losers…um…have to wash Barret’s sailor outfit?”

“That’s _if_ I’m takin’ it off!” Barret exclaimed. “Because this thing is magical _and_ comfortable!”

“Losers…have to buy the winners mods for their weapons!”

“Ooh, I like that!” Aerith exclaimed. “I’d love a new Materia slot or two.”

Tifa raised an eyebrow at Cloud. “Thoughts, leader?”

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s just play.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Tifa responded, getting into position. “Alright! Game on!”

“Yeah! I’m dying over here!” Yuffie yelled. She threw the volleyball in the air, and when it came back down, she slammed it with the palm of her hand. Instead of it going over the net, like it was meant to do, it hit their side of the net, came springing back, and nearly hit Yuffie in the face, had she not rolled out of the way.

“ _Yuffie_!” Cloud and Aerith shouted at the same time as the other team laughed and guffawed at the sight.

Yuffie shook her head and got up, grabbing another ball. “I’m sorry! That was a practice round!”

“As far as we’re considered, the game already started,” Red said, stretching out his back.

“Yeah! Tifa said ‘Game on’ and everything!” Barret added. Tifa nodded her head proudly.

“Who’s team leader here, though?” Cloud asked. He goes over to Yuffie and grabs the new ball from her hands. “That was a practice round.” He looked at Yuffie and motioned with his head for her to go to his previous spot. “Watch and learn.”

“Ooh, he’s competitive!” Aerith said, surprised at Cloud’s switch from seeming disinterested in the game to now wanting to show off his supposed skill.

“I _know_ how to serve a volleyball!” Yuffie exclaimed.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the ninja.

“You’ll see when I get to serve next!”

“That’s _if_ you get to serve next.”

“And he’s cocky, too!” Barret exclaimed. “Get your Spiky ass in gear and prove it!”

“Gladly,” Cloud said, holding out the ball in his left hand. He brought his right arm back, and with his hand fisted, he let go of the ball and hit it, the ball flying in Tifa’s direction. Tifa ran over, her hands in position, and she unsuccessfully managed to bump the ball back over to Cloud’s side; she missed the ball barely, and Red skipped over to try to get it, but the ball was too low for even him to get it.

“Woo-hoo!” Aerith exclaimed, clapping her hands. “You really are Mr. Everything!”

“He’s a goddamn SOLDIER!” Barret shouted. “It’s unfair!”

“You were the ones who decided the teams!” Yuffie responded. “You _gave_ us the advantage!”

“Well, after seeing how you serve, I suppose it’s fair,” Red said, chuckling at his own remark.

“Ah! Nice one, Red!” Barret exclaimed. He held out his hand for a high-five, but he quickly remembered he shouldn’t do that, as he pulled his hand away right as Red’s tail flicked in front of him.

“I wasn’t ready,” Tifa said, watching as Cloud threw the ball up a few times in his hands. “Okay. This is for real.”

Cloud snickered. “Oh, that was a practice round, too?”

“You got one, so we get one,” Tifa said. “Now the game’s _really_ started.”

“Whatever you say,” Cloud replied, rolling his eyes. “Be ready this time.”

Tifa got into position. “Of course.”

\-----------------------------------

The game ended 21 to 15, Cloud, Aerith, and Yuffie taking the victory. Cloud was the best player in the game, as they realized very quickly at the beginning of the game; he often took over bumps and serves when Aerith and especially Yuffie weren’t going to make them. Aerith was a pretty good player, but it was easy for her to miss the ball sometimes, especially if Barret was the one to hit it over, since he hit with a decent amount of force. Yuffie…Yuffie tried.

Tifa was probably the second-best player, though she fumbled sometimes, especially if the ball ended up going over her head, but not to the point of going out-of-court. She was best at serving, which earned their team a decent number of points. Red was surprisingly very good, once he got used to the game and once he learned ways to actually hit the ball – usually opting to use his nose, and sometimes his tail. Serving was a different story for him. It would take him a few tries to even hit the ball after balancing it on his nose and tossing it in the air.

“Ha, ha, you win,” Tifa said to Cloud as she walked around the net to their side. Cloud grinned smugly at her. “You’re the best at the game.”

“I think we made a pretty good team,” Aerith agreed, nudging Cloud’s side.

“I’ll take that weapon upgrade at our next stop,” Cloud said with a smirk. “Couple new Materia slots would be nice.”

Tifa rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder. “Rematch someday.”

“You’ll be practicing in the meantime?”

Tifa shook her head and sauntered off, heading towards the rest of the group. “I was going easy on you.”

“Sure,” Aerith sang. She giggled at Cloud once Tifa was out of earshot. “I didn’t know you were competitive!”

Cloud shrugged his shoulders, now feeling slightly self-conscious. “Is that a bad thing?”

Aerith shook her head. “No, no! It’s just…I haven’t seen you like that. You looked like you were having a lot of fun.”

Cloud shrugged yet again. “Yeah,” he replied. “It was fun.”

“And wasn’t that one of the reasons why we stopped here? Remember?” Aerith questioned. She poked him in the side. “And it’s working! Don’t you feel relaxed?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Cloud answered.

“So…this stop was a good idea?” she asked as they started to walk back to the seats Aerith and Tifa had set up. Cloud thought about maybe chilling there for a bit before heading back to the hotel room. Yuffie and Tifa were already talking about jumping into the water for a bit, and Red was going to continue to practice serving the volleyball over by the court, since he had become quite interested in the game. And Barret was heading back into the town, probably for another mojito. 

“Whatever’ll let you sleep at night,” Cloud said.

Aerith laughed, and she knew by now that when Cloud said something like that, he really meant “yes”. “Well, thanks for letting us stay here for a bit, anyway. I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ll cherish this day for a long time.” She looked down at the sand. “And…we’ll talk about… _that_ …later. Let’s just…cherish now.”

Cloud looked over Aerith’s face. He noticed a slight pink tint to her cheeks, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the sun or not. Either way, the brightness of the tropical sky danced off Aerith’s green eyes, and Cloud knew that if they were in a different context, he would’ve allowed himself to get lost in them.

But not now. While it may be a vacation, there _is_ a mission at hand. A mission to find...he-who-shall-not-be-named. 

And…it’s just not something he should add to the equation. Not now. Things were already too complicated.

So, he’d keep it to himself for now.

He nodded his head. “Let’s.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oof that was a lot longer than I had originally planned it lol
> 
> It was going to be a lot longer (with an extended volleyball scene, the Hojo scene from OG, and a night talk with Cloud and Aerith), but I shortened it by a lot because it was just getting incredibly long. A lot of FF7 fics I've written recently just end up being incredibly long without me intending to do so haha
> 
> Also, Square, can we PLEASE get a volleyball minigame in Costa del Sol? Please? Where we get to pick our teams? And we get to play as any character we want? That's all I ask, honestly lol 
> 
> So...I left out the Hojo scene, even though it's absolutely fantastic and I had a great idea for how it was going to be introduced, but I felt like it felt almost...wrong to do it? After Hojo's major scenes in Remake, it felt a bit to OOC to do. I love the scene a lot in OG, but for Remake, I'm hoping they don't go through with it. It seems a bit...innappropriate, especially after the scenes in Shinra HQ. 
> 
> Okay, enough of that lol
> 
> I'd like to do how I imagine the Gold Saucer date going, and I'd like to do some short, fluffy fics with my babies Cloud and Aerith! So...hopefully you'll see that from me? Maybe? Hopefully? idk haha
> 
> Let me know what you think!!


End file.
